


seasons

by starsupernova



Category: RWBY
Genre: M/M, Slow Burn, lapslock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 11:02:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9545546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsupernova/pseuds/starsupernova
Summary: snow falls. rain pours. stars glitter. love blooms.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i really love martial arcs and they deserve more love.  
> thank you to nick for beta-ing this for me <3

**i.**

 

snow is falling like feathers when the door swings open. it's christmas eve, the emptiest night of the year, with most people content to stay in the warmth of their own homes with their own families rather than in the low light of the dingy bar.

a rush of cold air enters the building and jaune rubs his arms from where he's crouching behind the counter, looking for a bottle of wine.

“hello?” someone calls out uncertainly and jaune pops up, searching for the origin of the voice.

the man lingering near the door is wrapped up in a coat and a scarf, the dark material still dusted with bright white snow. when he spots jaune, he tosses his hood off, revealing long dark hair, and makes his way over to the bar.

“nice night,” jaune says and the man only responds with a small smirk at the corner of his mouth that suddenly strikes jaune as endearing.

the man pulls off his thick gloves, leaving them on the counter, and shivers visibly before breathing on his hands for warmth. after watching him try in vain for a few second, jaune puts down his glass and makes his way across the bar to him.

“here, let me help,” jaune says, and sets the glass down to reach over the counter. jaune takes a hold of the man’s hands, which are cold and damp as the snow still whistles its way along the street outside.

jaune rubs warmth into pale and thin fingers as best as possible in the few seconds that the man’s hands are in his.

this close, jaune realizes that his eyes are a bright pink, matching with the stripe of dye in his hair. the only way he can describe it is mesmerizing.

jaune jerks backwards. “i’m sorry,” he says. “i didn't mean to—sorry.” he tries to hide the stutter that shows up in his in voice whenever he's nervous.

“no. no, it’s alright,” the man replies, laying his hands on the counter. he looks up to smile at jaune with a gaze that seems just for him, and jaune—well, jaune is smitten.

people have always said that he falls in love easily.

“what's your name?” jaune asks, leaning his elbows on the counter. the man seems reserved, for sure, but not rude in any form of the word. he seems tired. jaune knows what that feels like.

“ren,” the man says. even his voice sounds tired, in its soft gentleness. “lie ren.”

“i’m jaune,” he offers. “thanks for being around tonight. there's normally no one on days like these.”

ren nods. “i’m not like everybody else,” he states. from anyone else, the sentence would have sounded arrogant but ren had an unmistakably modest air about him.

“so, ren,” jaune starts. “can i get you a drink?” he asks, straightening up.

“sure,” he replies and smiles up at jaune. “why not?”

 

**ii.**

 

snow is falling like diamonds when the door swings open. it's the new year’s eve, the busiest night of the year, with most people begging to drink the year away in the low light of the dingy bar rather than staying in the warmth of their own homes with their own families.

tonight, yang is here to help behind the counter, charming customers into buying more drinks and warding off creepy men from pretty girls.

jaune cannot stop thinking about ren, and hasn't stopped for the six days since he’d met him. ren hadn't seemed like he lived in town, so it’s likely that jaune’s never going to see him again, but the small pocket of hope in his chest swells every time the door swings open, in case ren comes back.

and ren comes back.

he must have snuck in while jaune was busy serving one of the larger groups of people there and jaune finds him at the farthest corner of the bar.

the coat he had been wearing on christmas eve night was slung over the empty chair next to him, so that jaune could see his muscular arms under the thin long-sleeved shirt he was wearing. a beanie he’s wearing over his head shrouds his eyes from the dim light.

“thought you wouldn’t come back,” jaune says and ren looks up at him. jaune wants to imagine that he smiled just a little, at least.

“only for you,” ren replies and the statement, laced with sarcasm and a brush of humor, shouldn't mean anything at all, but jaune’s heartbeat speeds up to a mile a minute.

“same as last time?” jaune asks. ren nods and jaune crosses the room to make him the same drink that he made him six days ago. he looks across the bar to yang, who scrunches her eyebrows in confusion, but doesn’t push it.

“so, ren, do you dance?” jaune asks, sliding the drink towards him.

“not in public,” ren replies, swirling his drink with the mini umbrella that jaune had dropped into it. with the way he rarely makes eye contact, jaune wonders whether he's reserved or just shy.

“good choice,” jaune says, and a memory suddenly pops into his head. “one time, i made a bet and had to wear a dress to a school dance. it was mortifying.”

ren blinks and lifts his head. “did you go to high school at beacon?” he asks and jaune’s eyes go wide before he crumples and shoves his head into his hands.

“yeah,” he mumbles, voice muffled.

“me too,” ren says, hiding a small smile. jaune drops his hands. “i wasn't at the dance but i heard the stories.”

jaune groans. “the greatest regret of my life,” he mourns and then it clicks. “wait, we went to high school together?”

“apparently,” ren replies. “i’m not surprised that we didn't know each other, though.”

“still,” jaune implores. “i didn't notice you.” _how_ _did i not notice you?_

ren just shrugs. “i didn't have many friends.”

“i was too busy pining after weiss,” jaune replies, still caught up in self pity.  

ren raises an eyebrow. “weiss schnee?” jaune nods glumly. “ah, i can see why that may have been a problem.”

“she's married to my best friend, ren. why is my life filled with so much regret?”

“ruby rose?” ren asks.

“yep.”

“knew it.”

jaune raises an eyebrow and smiles at the vaguely proud look on ren’s face.“who knew you were one for gossip?”

“it's not gossip,” ren replies and takes a sip of his drink. “it's observation.”

jaune gives him a look. ren laughs in response. it's a nice sound. it's a really nice sound. jaune could replay it in his head for eternity and never get sick of it.

“hey, ren,” jaune asks, hiding the stutter in his voice. “will you dance with me?”

“nah,” ren replies.

jaune frowns a little at the rejection, but, honestly, he wouldn’t want to dance with his embarrassing self either. “figured,” he says and he makes another drink.

 

**iii.**

 

rain is pouring outside the clear windows of jaune’s living room when he sees him. the television is flickering in front of him, as a movie ends and another—one that jaune hasn't seen but has heard good things about—starts playing.

he'd been trying to work on this week’s expense sheet for the bar but, he's never been good at math (or anything, really), so he sets his laptop aside and focuses on the movie.

the opening scene is a shot of a village burn in front of a shadow of a child. jaune was always a sucker for stories like these, but it's not the movie that makes his heart drop to his stomach.

the scene shifts into a bustling market, and the camera begins to follow an older man with dark black hair and he looks—

the man turns around.

ren. lie ren.

it's ren on the screen, introduced as a character named skylark. it's ren (probably) doing all those stunts, it's ren getting shot and ren’s face contorting in (false) pain. it's ren, kissing the female lead and peeling his shirt off and _that's_ jaune’s cue to turn off the television.

jaune does what any normal person would have done a month ago, and looks ren up on the internet. a slew of news articles pop into the browser and jaune finds a list of every movie ren has starred in, which turns out to be quite a lot.

needless to say, he doesn't get much sleep that night.

 

**iv.**

 

rain is pouring outside the smeared windows of jaune’s bar when he sees him. the jacket is gone, replaced by an umbrella in the same dark shade. it's mid-afternoon, when only the alcoholics are slumped over the bar and the room is largely very quiet.

“ren,” jaune greets. “nice to see a familiar face.” the scene from the movie replays mercilessly behind his eyes. jaune hates his life. ren gives him a tiny smile and shakes water off of his umbrella before closing it.

“i was in the area,” he replies and walks over to sit down in the seat opposite to jaune. for some reason, jaune feels like he's hiding something, now that he knows.

“for what?” jaune asks.

ren doesn't reply. “can i get something?” he asks. jaune nods and makes him the same drink. they stay in silence for a bit, but the truth crawls under jaune’s skin.

after jaune finishes serving another customer, he whisks his way over to ren immediately. ren is quiet like always, like someone whom jaune never thought he would want to love, but the need to be next to ren is like nothing he's ever felt before.

“i never asked, where do you work?” jaune asks. really he means _i want to know you._

“that's confidential,” ren replies.

jaune cracks a nervous smile. “what would you say if i told you i already know?”

ren’s face flickers in what looks like nervousness for the slightest of a second before he responds. “i wouldn't be too surprised.”

“you're very talented,” jaune adds quickly, graciously.

“thank you?” ren replies but it sounds more like a question. the clear uncertainty in ren’s voice makes jaune’s heart twist.

“no, really,” jaune insists, leaning closer to ren and planting his hands on the bar table. “i was surprised, yeah, but you're really good.”

“i’m sorry,” ren apologizes quickly and looks down at his hands. it's almost _shameful_ , and jaune doesn't know what there is to be ashamed of, but ren continues. “it’s easy to doubt someone’s loyalty when they're in the entertainment industry. most people are easily swayed by fame.” he says it like he's saying _not me_.

“what are you talking about, ren?” jaune is really really confused.

ren looks up. “it's hard to be—” there's a short pause in his sentence. “— _friends_ with people like me. just, don't stick around if you don't want to.”

“of course i want to!” jaune says and then lowers his voice to a loud whisper. “of course i want to stick around. i trust you.”

ren blinks. “oh.” anxiety visibly floods from his face and jaune breathes a sigh of relief. ren takes a sip of his drink and looks back down at his hands.

“ren,” jaune starts quietly. “those people who didn't stick around...fuck ‘em.”

ren laughs suddenly and brightly and—it’s a really nice sound. he taps out a pattern with his fingers on the wood before speaking. “i’m starring in a movie coming out this august. if you want to, you can come with me to the premiere.”

“okay,” jaune replies instantly. faintly, he realizes that he can no longer feel the stutter building in his throat when he speaks. 

“okay,” ren says and smiles. it's a really nice smile. he gives jaune his phone number before he leaves and smiles some more and jaune—well, jaune might be in love.

needless to say, he doesn't get much sleep that night.

 

**v.**

 

stars are glimmering in the warm night sky when ren shows up at the bar. jaune had decided to close up early that day (because it was _his_ bar and he could do what he want), so he’s already turned the key in the lock by the time he sees ren.

“am i too late?” ren asks. jaune notices that there’s a woman next to ren, with bright red hair and pretty features, and jaune’s stomach drops.

nevertheless, he gives ren a smile. “too late for a drink, yes. too late for dinner, nope.”

“if we eat, i’ll pay,” the redhead says, instantly, looking at ren for approval. jaune raises an eyebrow.

“pyrrha’s the heroic type,” ren explains, a touch of amusement in his voice, and pyrrha rolls her eyes before stepping forward.

“pyrrha nikos,” she introduces herself and jaune shakes her outstretched hand. “i’m ren’s co-star. and i wasn't joking about paying for the meal.”

“well then, be my guest,” jaune replies. they end up going to an “authentic” mexican food place two blocks away that jaune has never been to but pyrrha insists is incredible.

he's liking pyrrha more and more by the minute. she's sharp and funny and probably does have a thing for heroics, because she leaves part way through dinner to help a friend with something, but still pays for the meal.

“she's a nice girl,” jaune says brightly after she takes her leave, still finishing up the chile relleno on his plate. “good co-star?”

“great one,” ren replies.

“what's the movie even about?” jaune asks warily. if pyrrha had gotten to kiss ren before he did, then he might have to reconsider his thoughts on the girl.

“didn’t you see the trailer?” ren asks and jaune shakes his head. ren sighs, like he's disappointed in jaune. “well, then, i guess i can't tell you anything until you see it.

“what's that supposed to mean? i thought we were friends,” jaune mourns.

ren laughs. “we are.”

“i don’t even know your favorite color.”.

“black,” ren replies quickly.

“typical.” jaune rolls his eyes. “favorite movie?”

“anything but the ones i’ve been in."

jaune hums in response, thinking of another question. “first crush?” he asks, and regrets it a minute later.

ren shakes his head. “nope.”

“nope, you don't want to tell me or nope, you've never had a first crush?”

“never had one,” ren says and jaune’s jaw drops.

“you're kidding me.”

“everyone in high school was gross—” ren begins but jaune clears his throat.

“objection: weiss schnee.”

ren smiles. “sure, she wasn't gross, but definitely not my type. and once i became an actor, i just didn't have time for that kind of stuff.”

jaune groans. “everyone tells me i fall in love too easily.”

“that's not a bad thing.”

“but it _is_ ,” jaune complains. “because you've never had a crush and i—” jaune cuts himself off.

“you what?” ren asks.

 _i like you. a lot._ “nothing. are you finished eating?” ren’s eyebrows scrunch in confusion but he nods, standing up.

“i kind of have an early start tomorrow,” ren says and jaune nods. the air between them is thicker than it was a minute ago.

“i’ll call a taxi,” jaune offers and pulls out his phone. when he's finished making the call, he tucks his phone back into his pocket and looks at the ground. he feels ren’s eyes on him but doesn't look up to meet them. luckily, it doesn't take much time at all before the taxi pulls up on the curb.

“see you, jaune.” ren waves goodbye and is about to turn around when jaune realizes that he really doesn't want ren to leave.

he reaches out to take ren’s hand between both his palms. “listen, you're my friend, right?” jaune asks, a little desperate.

ren frowns down at their hands. “yeah. of course.”

jaune spares him an almost self deprecating smile. “so, if i tell you something, you won't hate me right?”

ren bites his lip and _wow_ , that's distracting. “what is it, jaune?” he asks.

jaune opens his mouth but the taxi driver honks behind them once. it jars the moment and jaune rips his hands away from ren. “i’ll—i’ll tell you next time.”

ren looks worried. “okay. good night, jaune.” then he disappears into the taxi, which pulls away with a flood of headlights.

jaune is left wondering if that counted as a date.

 

**vi.**

 

stars are glimmering in the warm night sky when ren shows up at the bar. jaune isn't one for poetics but ren looks like the stars that night, bright and shining.

it's a week before the premiere. jaune knows how stressed out ren has been about it for the past months so it's almost a surprise when he drops by.

jaune had never told him what he had meant to tell him that night and ren hadn't asked either.

“i’ve been thinking,” is what ren announces when the door swings open.

“oh no,” jaune says, grinning broadly. “dangerous.”

“shut up,” ren replies. it's almost humorous how much he's opened up to jaune recently, but it's been almost eight months since they met on that cold winter night.

“anyways. i was thinking. isn't my entire life a lie?”

“that's characteristically existential.”

ren rolls his eyes. “no, i’m serious. i’m an actor. my job is lying to the public.”

“doesn't mean you're dishonest,” jaune points out and pours ren a drink.

“not just the acting thing,” ren says, voice dropping quieter. “i’ve lied about other things before. i’ve lied to you before.”

jaune raises an eyebrow and runs through all the things ren has told him over their friendship of eight months. “the actor thing? that wasn't really an outright lie. more an omission of the truth.”

“my favorite color is actually pink,” ren replies. he runs his fingers through the stripe of dye in his hair.

jaune laughs. “is that it?” 

ren shakes his head. “it's the crush thing,” he says and looks down. a bubble of hope grows in jaune’s chest but he pops it.

“so you _have_ had a crush before.”

“it's kind of…new?” ren sounds uncertain but jaune can't think of a single reason why someone wouldn't like ren.

“is it pyrrha?” jaune asks and ren suddenly begins coughing.

“god, no,” ren replies and then stops suddenly. “if i tell you something, you won't hate me right?”

“of course not.”

ren sighs and then looks up at jaune. “it’s you.”

 

**vii.**

 

snow falls. this is the second christmas eve jaune has spent with someone he loves.

rain pours. jaune moves in.

stars glitter. jaune buys a ring.

the seasons change but they don't. they are constant like time spinning.

eight months turns into eight years. jaune decides to stick around.

**Author's Note:**

> what are you talking about, this did not solely stem from the hug in v4:e9


End file.
